HEX, Gears & Ghosts

I’ve been driving electric for over three years now. It started with an MG ZS, a practical car with a 440 km range that took me from South-East Styria all the way to Bremerhaven (and back) without a hitch. That's a 13h, 1200 km drive one way.

Last July, we dropped our last internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and haven't looked back, picking up a Ford Explorer EV with a 605 km range. It charges quicker from 20% to 80% than I can typically order, drink and pay a coffee. We rent both cars all-in for €450 and €550 a month respectively. A price that includes insurance, service, and tires.

Intermission. I observe the European carmakers' decline with a ton of frustration. They are in a self-made crisis. The carmakers, the oil industry, their lobbyists and our conservative politicians made catastrophic, short-sighted mistakes. Nobody on earth will be interested in ICE vehicles in a few years from now, except for a few stubborn conservatives. People have to realize that three cities in China or India have the combined population of Austria and Germany. We barely matter in the whole picture.

Our Austrian tourism industry got a bailout after they took a dive in the Covid crisis. The country paid to cover for profits they couldn't make. Do I get a bailout now, because my customers (suppliers and carmakers) save on external cost due to short-sighted politics? My income was almost 0 for over a year. No, of course I don't get anything. Luckily for me, India invests into its future.

Back to the topic. People often tell me that cost is a barrier for a switch to an EV. I disagree. After 8 months and 22,000 km, we picked up about €200 worth of public charging energy; the rest came straight from the solar panels on our roof. And yes, we've been on vacation on the other end of Austria, and I've crossed the Alpes a few times.

Yet, despite this seamless transition, I constantly bump into a wall of resistance here in Europe. Austria (and Germany), in particular, seems convinced that electromobility is impossible, especially in cities, since you cannot easily put solar panels on your roof when you rent. But if you look beyond our borders, the narrative flips completely.

The “Impossible” City Car: A Lesson from Bangalore

Critics in Austria and Germany claim that EVs don't work in dense cities. They cite charging infrastructure issues and range anxiety. But let’s look at Bangalore, which I recently visited. We support a huge two- and three-wheeler OEM there. Guess what, they shift to EV currently. Battery swapping stations for two-sheelers at every metro station.

Bangalore has almost twice the population of Austria. In one city. Yet I saw tons of MG ZS EVs driving around there. It’s not just private owners; the commercial sector has embraced them. I spoke to a Uber driver there who does 500 km a day in an MG ZS EV. His simple solution? He charges overnight at home and tops up during his lunch break. Pro-tip: electric energy is usually cheaper during the night due to its abundance. It’s not rocket science; it’s just routine. Btw. I can confirm that in city traffic you can get easily 500 km with one charge from an MG ZS EV with a nominal 440 km range, even after years and Austrian winters. I could not observe any loss of charging capacity (also a popular misconception).

South India has become a massive hub for EV adoption. Karnataka, the state where Bangalore is located, is leading this charge. If a taxi driver in a megacity with chaotic traffic and density can make it work, why is Vienna complaining?

“Buses Can't Work Here”? Try Barcelona.

Another favorite argument in Austria and Germany is that heavy vehicles, like buses, cannot be electrified effectively. It’s supposedly too difficult, the ranges are too short, and the grid can't handle it.

Yet, in December, I drove around Barcelona almost exclusively in electric buses. The city’s transport authority, TMB, has aggressively moved to electrify its fleet. They secured a major contract for 25 new generation 12-meter electric buses from BYD back in 2021 and continue to expand, with 19 new electric buses set to join the fleet by 2026.

Barcelona proves that where there is political will, the infrastructure follows. The buses are quiet, clean, and reliable. The claim that it’s “impossible” in DACH countries is simply a lack of political will, not a technical impossibility.

Let's address the something that I hear a lot about from conservatives: energy security.

The Geopolitical Reality: France vs. “Questionable Regimes”

With the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the volatility in the Middle East, the dependence on oil is not just expensive; it’s dangerous. The Russian aggression on Ukraine and its implications on oil price and economy should have made that clear. It seems it didn't.

I’d much rather import some electric power from France than import all our oil and gas from questionable regimes. The instability in the Persian Gulf sends shockwaves through fuel prices, making the operating costs of ICE vehicles a gamble.

Let’s look at the math. To drive a Ford Explorer-sized ICE vehicle 22,000 km, you're looking at significant fuel consumption. Assuming an unrealistic 5 liters per 100 km and fat too low fuel prices (€1.50 per liter in Austria/Germany), you’d spend roughly €1,650.

In contrast, our electric bill for the same distance was roughly €200 (public charging) + the solar energy we produced ourselves (which we would otherwise sell at €0.06 per kWh). Even if you charge entirely on the public grid (15 kWh consumption, €0.50 per kWh), the cost is exactly equal to fuel cost. Why are we voluntarily sending billions to petrostates when we have the technology to drive on sunshine and cross-border electricity?

The EV is Not the Problem — It’s the Solution

Skeptics say electric vehicles put too much of a burden on the electric grid. I see it as the ultimate solution to renewable energy fluctuation in fact.

We heat our 340 m² house with heat pumps and drive two EVs. Our total monthly electric bill is €300. That covers heating, hot water, and “fuel” for two cars. We achieved this by changing our mindset.

We almost always have an EV on the PV-controlled charger. * Sun shines? The car charges directly from the roof. * Sun doesn't shine? The car stops charging or we use cheap off-peak power. Again, contrary to common belief, electric power is abundant during the night.

We almost never export energy to the grid, which maximizes our self-consumption and has cut our electric bill by one-third. Research supports this approach: EVs can act as “dispatchable loads,” helping to balance power fluctuations in grid-connected PV systems [5]. The car isn't just a car; it's a battery on wheels that stabilizes our energy usage.

Bonus point: when power fails 24-48h due to heavy snow bringing down landlines (like this year and two years ago), the EVs have half of 147 kWh in reserve on average. That's enough for quite some time.

Conclusion

The resistance to EVs in Europe is often based on outdated perceptions, not current realities. My driving experience is far, far superior. Silent, fast, safe, comfortable. My monthly costs are fixed and predictable (€1,025 for everything), my fuel is domestic, from the Austrian roof or grid. Someone commented on a German newspaper article not long ago: I want to drive from Germany to Italy with domestic petrol. Yeah, right, domestic German petrol...

I’d rather rely on a few French electrons and Austrian sunshine than oil, gas or Uranium from unstable regimes. The transition isn't just about saving the planet; it's about energy independence, affordable mobility and common sense.

While Europe drags its feet, Bangalore is running taxi fleets on EVs, and Barcelona is cleaning its air with electric buses. The technology is here. The economics work. The only thing missing is the mindset shift. Maybe it is time to stop listening to the oil and gas industry's lobbyists. Our automotive industry will be obsolete very soon if we don't.

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